Bus driver gets OK to avoid gay-themed ads

[Thor_MN]

http://www.startribune.com/535/story/749617.html

A Twin Cities bus driver who complained about a gay-themed ad got official permission not to drive any bus that carries that ad, according to an internal memo confirmed Tuesday by Metro Transit.
Transit authorities call it a reasonable accommodation to the driver's religious beliefs.

Requests for religion-based considerations are increasingly in the news, as workplace observers say more Americans bring their faiths to their jobs. A bank in Otsego declares itself to be a Christian bank, for example. Some pharmacists want the right to refuse to fill contraceptive prescriptions.

If you can't do the job because of your beliefs, find another one. I thought that discrimination based on religion was generally considered not permissable...

[Webster Green]

1. The dumbass should have been fired..

His boss is probably religiously insane as well.

[Llewlladdwr]

41. I just love the assumption...

that the driver in question is Christian. No chance at all that this could be a Muslim is there? I mean, we all know how much the Prophet liked gays.

[MrScorpio]

2. Maybe he thought the gayness would rub off on him

You know, kinda like cooties?

[heliarc]

15. More probable...

that he thought it already HAD rubbed off... that's why he kept dreaming of Mark Foley... mmmm Mark Foley.

[Warpy]

3. We do NOT have a right to live completely unoffended

by anyone, anywhere. This fool needs to find a line of work in a cubicle, where he doesn't have to look at anything but the cube walls and a computer screen.

Why do these conspicuous Christians think the world should be arranged for their maximum pleasure? Have they forgotten that the rest of us live here, too?

[YankeyMCC]

30. Bingo!

It another symptom of the apparent 'whimpification' of America. We're so cowed with fear that we (as a nation) are giving up civil liberties, and so sensitive that we can't tolerate any discomfort in our lives.

Unfortunately for people like this bus driver 'discomfort' comes with living an interesting, thoughtful, and valuable life.

[maxcass]

42. Exactly!

[Divine Discontent]

43. AMEN!

that's a great rant

[daleo]

4. This is stupid

It is hard to believe the Twin Cities could pull this off - they always seemed like a sane place. The idea that a bus driver is having his or her tender religious feelings insulted by an ad on a bus is laughable.

How does the driver feel about the countless ads that use sexual titillation to sell junk that must be on the bus, too.

On edit - For the record, the driver in question is a woman. Not that it matters, I only mention it because people were assuming it was a man:

"Our diversity office determined that we could make a simple, reasonable accommodation on religious ground by not assigning her to one of the 25 buses -- out of 150 -- at the Nicollet garage," Metro Transit spokesman Bob Gibbons said.

[Jawja]

32. The company buying the ads

for the buses should pull the ads as a response. Doesn't the transit system make money off of the ads on their buses?

If this is the case and the bus system is allowing some nutjob's personal mythology beliefs to successfully dictate to his bosses how he is going to do his job, then the company providing revenue due to the ads should pull them.

IMHO, of course.

[Der Blaue Engel]

5. And if my religion forbade me to associate with people of color

I suppose I could get "accommodation" for that, too, huh?

What a bunch of crap.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

6. My religion prohibits me from eating pasta

but somehow I don't think I would get the same consideration. What makes one religion's whacko beliefs more "acceptable" than another's?

[htuttle]

8. Ramen!

Personally, my own faith forbids me to partake of hot dog buns except on Fridays, when it's mandatory. They won't serve me a hot dog except in a bun. I have to throw it away or barter it for some jello! And then on Fridays, all I can seem to find is fried fish!!! Can *I* find any accomodation from our Christo-centric society? Nope.

[heliarc]

16. Arrrr... be it September 19th me hearties???

dAAARRRn... It gone come and went... my favorite holiday is Talk like a Pirate day.

[LiberalFighter]

7. Does he have a problem with gays riding his bus??

Will he demand that gays not ride on his bus? If so, will the company make the bus a gay-free bus?

How will he know that gays haven't been and won't be riding any bus he drives? How many gays have rubbed against him or touched him in other ways?

[54anickel]

10. Dang, you beat me to it. Will she be allowed to not allow gays or

people she suspects are gay ride to the bus? What's next - atheists, Muslims, blacks, inter-racial couples, etc?

[LiberalFighter]

12. At least it was a fellow cheesehead that beat you

[54anickel]

18. Cheers! So how long have you been a cheesehead?

Couldn't help but notice your profile states IN. ;-) :toast:

[LiberalFighter]

23. Since I was born in Wisconsin

I'm just lost in Indiana. That's why they had "Wander Indiana" on the license plate when I moved here.

[54anickel]

27. Outside of a couple years in AZ, I've lived in WI all my life - same

county. To rip-off the Alabama song - Cheesehead born and cheesehead bred. Although we weren't referred to as cheeseheads way back when I was born. Heh, I never realized we had an accent until I moved to AZ and it was pointed out to me - almost daily..."from Wisconsin, huh?"

Nice to meet you LiberalFighter. :hi:

[heliarc]

17. Sounds like a job for Rosa Sparks...

she's a Drag queen that I know. She might have to ride his bus around the block if you know what I mean... wink wink... nudge nudge.

[rpannier]

19. I'm not as offended by this as most here...However,

if someone found out the who the driver is and his route, I think the GLBT Community should go out of their way to ride on his bus. In VERY, VERY large groups and be VERY, VERY flamboyant about it. Maybe the dumb f**k would quit -- or say something stupid and get his homophobic ass fired.

[LostinVA]

21. I was thinking the same thing!

[Occulus]

34. Or DO something stupid and make someone really really rich n/t

[ecstatic]

45. OR set up gay sting, expose him as being gay himself

hehe... He is most likely an anti-gay closet gay.

[Sabriel]

9. How about a "Jew-themed" ad? Would that be offensive? New bus!

What if there are people of color standing next to white people in the ad? New bus!

It's not OK to accomodate bigotry, EVER! Particularly on public transportation.

[rpannier]

20. Come on....

As I replied to someone else. If he doesn't like driving a bus with the ads it's not that big a deal (IMLHO).
Why?
Because the opportunity for fun is ripe for the picking.
Find out who this neandrethal is.
Then find out his bus number and route.
Then have large numbers of 'openly flamboyant GLBT' ride his bus in big groups. (or people portraying flamboyant GLBT ride his bus)
He'll either quit or get his d**b ass fired.

Tormenting the closed minded f**k is worth it. (IMLHO)

on edit:
You are correct when you look at it from the slippery slope point of view.
What's next?

[snooper2]

46. Her, not He....

eom

[sugapablo]

48. What if there were pro-Nazi ads on the bus?

And the driver was Jewish? New bus?

What if the ad was one of that churches "G-d Hates Fags So He Killed Soldiers in Iraq" ads?

And the driver's son died in Iraq? New bus?

What if the ad was for the KKK?

And the driver was black? New bus?


Some might feel the an ad with the display of homosexuality to be just as offensive as ads for Nazism, that freakin' chruch, or the KKK. Just because WE think there's nothing wrong with it, doesn't mean everyone isn't entitiled to their own reaction.

Plus, this is a private company that made an internal decision to accomodate one of its employees. I'm sure they'd make similar religious exceptions should a Jewish driver wish not to work on the Sabbath.

I don't think this is a big deal. We have to allow people their own thoughts and discomforts. If people are offended by homosexuality, or racial equality, or any other value or circumstance that we may support , who are we to tell them their "wrong" if it's simply their view and they're not hurting anyone?

Just a thought. As usual, with most of my thoughts, pretty useless.


P.S. I've been fired for my religious beliefs. It's not fun. (I refused to work on the Sabbath.)

[KamaAina]

49. No, it is a public agency

Plus, this is a private company that made an internal decision to accomodate one of its employees.

http://www.metrotransit.org/aboutUs/aboutMetroTransit.asp

Metro Transit is an operating division of the Metropolitan Council. Like transit properties in most metropolitan areas, Metro Transit relies heavily on state and federal money to finance its operations and capital programs. Regional policy requires that a third of Metro Transit's operating budget be generated from customers. Metro Transit currently collects roughly 35 percent of its budget from fareboxes, 60 percent comes from state appropriations and motor vehicle sales, and the remainder is from federal and self-generating sources.

Discrimination by a public agency is WRONG.

P.S. I can't help but think of homophobic Minn. legislator, and now congressional candidate :puke:, Michelle Bachman. Who knew she moonlighted driving a bus? :-)

[The Roux Comes First]

11. I'm alergic to commercial advertising

and the idea that corporations have more rights than individual humans.

Where do I fit in?

Or not?

[muryan]

13. Isnt this the same city

where they are allowing islamic taxi drivers to refuse fares at the airport if they have alcohol with them?

[NMMNG]

14. I'm going to get a job in a grocery store

Then I'm going to refuse to sell meat to anybody because I'm a vegetarian. Let's see how well that goes over.

[LostinVA]

22. You know what?

That is no different from this dude or the phramacist...

[54anickel]

25. Is being a vegetarian considered a religious belief?

What is the "legal" definition of religious belief when they make these decisions anyway? Who's religion? Can it include any strong-held conviction? That might be fun to test out in this new "it's against my beliefs" system.

Sorry, it's Friday - I can't serve you that rubin sandwich today unless you're willing to substitute sardines for the corned beef. :P

Imagine the "corporatist-type" heads exploding if there was a huge movement to honor the Sabbath again. :evilgrin:

[LostinVA]

28. Taoists, Buddhist -- I'd say it could be a religious belief

My BIL has relatives who go to a church (and I use the word loosely) that preaches against interracial marriage, etc.

Yup, Corporate America does NOT want the return of Blue Laws!

[Anakin Skywalker]

38. Religious Belief is Very Broad.

I should be able to make up my own religion and cause problems similar to this one.

[LostinVA]

24. Question: would a racist driver be allowed to avoid black-themed ads?

Or Hispanic-themes ads? I'm serious. The answer is NO.

[Gormy Cuss]

50. If her claim is that those ads violate her religious beliefs,

it would be interesting to see the company respond. For example, I can envision someone claiming that ads showing mixed races couples offends her faith's believe in separation of the races. I'm betting they'd view it as very unreasonable. What about ads promoting alcohol? Many faiths have prohibitions against consuming it. Would it be reasonable to let a driver choose only buses without ads promoting the alchol agenda?

On another thread concerning this same story several posters said this case was covered by 'reasonable accomodation' because only a few buses had the ad and it was easy to accommodate her request. Not being an expert in this area, I could understand the company choosing to accommodate her informally but to call it a case where reasonable accomodation under Title VIII is necessary is the part that makes no sense to me. They're not asking her to wear a rainbow flag or a pink triangle or anything directly connected to her that would suggest she supports GLBT issues. It's just an ad at the back of a 40 foot vehicle. What next, permission to choose only routes where there are no billboards or ads with gay connections?

[gratuitous]

26. Homophobia has to be exhausting

"Gay-themed" ads? The ad in question was for a magazine aimed at the queer community and its supporters, but what about those Milwaukee Light ads? The one where the giant beer can crushes anyone not deemed "manly" enough? Is there a gay subtext there? How about the "man law" commercials? Nothin' but men, men, men as far as the eye can see in those. And one of them is a "wrestler" (wink, wink).

It's gotta be a 24-7 job to ferret out all the gay or potentially gay themes in advertising.

[LibDemAlways]

29. It's not his job to determine what advertising

will be displayed on the bus. Whoever is responsible for ad placement made the decision, and no one should have to bend over backwards to accommodate this one person's prejudice.

No one is asking him to wear an ad on his shirt, and no one is going to assume that an ad on the bus he's driving is his personal endorsement. He sounds like a wack-o. I'm not sure I'd even want him as a driver.

[xchrom]

31. those calvin klein underwear ads

must really torture him.

[AndyTiedye]

33. Does He Also Want to Refuse To Open the Bus Doors For Gay Couples?

Or will he be content to make them sit in the back of the bus?

One doesn't have to be gay to be concerned about the way this is going.

[Ian David]

35. I wonder how this driver feels about imposing prayer in public schools?n/t

[geniph]

36. Man, these homophobes are so insecure in their sexuality!

They think seeing anything even remotely gay-positive will somehow magically Turn Them Gay, like there are Magic Gay Rays emanating from the cosmos that they manage to avoid by sheer force of will - unless they're actually exposed to them, at which time, they immediately turn into Carson Kressley.

[sarcasmo]

37. Homophobia is a OK if you are a Christian in the Twin Cities.

Kick and Nom, Theocracy is on the March.

[Anakin Skywalker]

39. My Religion Says It Is Mandatory

for me to greet everyone by giving them the middle-finger! And I am a customer-service specialist, god damn it! Now can you dig that, sucka?

[dflprincess]

40. There's also been some problems in the Minneapols/St Paul area

with Muslim cab drivers refusing to accept fares who are carrying alcohol. This has cropped up mainly at the airport. However, there are reports of them also refusing to pick up fares at gay bars. One of the local cab companies now requires their drivers to sign a statement saying they will not refuse fares based on their own religious beliefs.

If we're going to let pharmacists, cab drivers and bus drivers refuse service based on their beliefs, does that mean I can refuse to pay my federal taxes (or at least a portion of them) because Bush's war violates my religious beliefs?

[ecstatic]

44. LOL.. makes sense if they let Pharmacists preach about which prescriptions

are worthy of being filled or not, then pretty soon everyone will have some moral reason for why they cannot do their job.

[hedgehog]

47. Did anyone notice that the transit workers' union denounced

this policy as intolerant? They chose support for an open society over one worker's beliefs. Good for them.

[progressivebydesign]

51. Give me a break. Political correctness taken to extreme n/t